Daniel Jacobs shocks Peter Quillin with first-round KO to retain middleweight title

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The ending was as shocking as it was swift.

Daniel Jacobs and Peter Quillin traded furiously during their WBA "regular" middleweight title fight, and once he was hurt, the champ didn't let him off the hook. Jacobs landed a devastating counter overhand right over Quillin's jab, and buckled him into a corner.

"The Miracle Man" unleashed on Quillin like a man possessed, and the challenger didn't attempt to clinch during the Showtime main event on Saturday. "Kid Chocolate" fired back in like kind, and was eventually caught with successive overhand rights that jolted him back like he was hit with a cannonball.

The 32-year-old stumbled on his feet like a drunk man, tried to gain his footing and never hit the canvas. Before Jacobs could follow up his attack, though, referee Harvey Dock wisely hugged Quillin (32-1-1, 23 KOs) and halted the action at 1:25 of Round 1, sending the Barclays Center crowd of 8,443 into a frenzy.

"I was thinking to myself, 'oh my God, ref, stop the fight,'" Jacobs, 28, recalled. "I hope he's OK. Speed kills, talent and skill. I was patient, I knew he was going to come in with some bombs and I was able to slip some of his punches, and when I came with an uppercut I realized I hurt him and that's when I went for the kill."

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Jacobs (31-1, 28 KOs) threw a startling 53 punches during the 85-second fight, connecting on 27 (51%), according to CompuBox. Forty-one were power shots, and Jacobs couldn't miss once he hurt Quillin, loading up on each and every punch. Quillin landed just two punches.

It was considered a coin-flip fight, and with the surprising conclusion of the bout, talk immediately turned to a rematch of the "Battle for Brooklyn."

Peter Quillin, left, is nailed with a right by Daniel Jacobs that knocked him out during the first round Saturday. (Photo/Rich Schultz, AP)

"I think I have a lot of options," a glassy-eyed Quillin said of a return encounter. "There's no one better to lose to than Danny Jacobs. He's fighting for the same things I'm fighting for. This is what a fight is all about. He's fighting for something I can't understand. I'm fulfilled by fighting someone with such a great story. I aim to inspire win or lose."

What Jacobs, 28, fights for is a battle anyone can get behind - cancer awareness. He battled osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, for 19 months and there were times he sat in his hospital bed at New-York Presbyterian and wondered if he would die. But he beat the disease, regained feeling in his lower body, and overcame incredible odds to win a middleweight title in his sixth fight back.

"I think Danny's a star, he's one of the best middleweights in the world," said promoter Lou DiBella. "… Danny's just a star at life. Look at how he started his career and how he's come back. Knockout loss (to Dmitry Pirog), cancer. This is a guy, when you've gone through what he's gone through, you don't fear people."

After knocking out Jarrod Fletcher in August 2014 to win the vacant belt, Jacobs topped Caleb Truax and Sergio Mora by stoppage this year. But none of those bouts compared to the challenge of facing Quillin, a former titleholder.

The fight was heavily hyped in Brooklyn, where both fighters reside, and Jacobs can now lay claim to being the best active fighter from New York.

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"I told him I love him," Jacobs said. "Me and Peter go back to the Golden Glove days. I respect him to death, but I knew this fight would be my night. There's no lucky shots in boxing. Obviously I caught him with a shot. Once I knew I had him hurt I kept going. … I saw his eyes and it looked like his equilibrium was off. I definitely would give him a rematch. I'm willing to fight him next if that's what the fans want."

Quillin, who didn't protest the quick stoppage, won the WBO middleweight title with a six-knockdown decision over Hassan N'Dam in 2012 and made three successful defenses. He vacated the belt, and then attempted to win it back vs. Andy Lee in April, but came in overweight and the title was not up for grabs. He settled for a draw.

"Harvey was definitely doing his job," said Quillin, who was gracious in defeat. " … I was always sending prayers for Prichard Colon (who is in a coma following an October defeat). I could never imagine being in that moment. It's best that people like that, who's got those type of jobs, do the best that they can do so they can avoid situations happening like that."

Lee defends his belt against Billy Joe Saunders on Dec. 19, and Showtime recently picked up the American rights to the bout. The winner is a natural to fight Jacobs next in a unification matchup, particularly if it's Lee, says DiBella, because of his large Irish following in New York.

As for Quillin, DiBella said, "He's going to live to fight again. If he would have been allowed to stay on his feet, and come forward, he might be in the hospital right now. … It wasn't a controversial stoppage. It was a ballsy stoppage by a very, very good referee that didn't care what people thought and protected the fighter."

The affable Quillin will surely get another crack at a title, but it may not be at middleweight. He said a move to 168 pounds is possible, and no time may be better for the jump.

But Saturday was about Jacobs, the new king of New York.

(Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)